Tagged: Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead #156: Kirkman Pulls an M. Negan Shyamalan!
I just read issue #156 of the Walking Dead last night and it seems Kirkman did a mighty fine job of pulling off an “M. Night Shyamalan”, at least on me. Beware of SPOILERS ahead. I’ve been having a pretty good time recently with The Walking Dead, which is somewhat of a surprise as I’d gotten a bit bored with the title over time. Heck though issue #156 was definitely an interesting read. We got a full issue of the escaped Negan who was up to his old crazy antics once again. The way this issue read having him as the main focal point however almost felt like it had been written by The Farrelly Brothers. It felt a bit like a raunchy slapstick comedy as this guy tried in his own messed up way to “fit in” with his new crew. We got Negan hanging out with Alpha and The Whisperers, the latest gang of human scum that is threatening Rick and his gang. It felt awkward at times watching Negan interact with them all, like the dude was a foul mouthed Jim Carey. I would be lying if I didn’t say how much I thought the Whisperers in reality would have offed him within five minutes of meeting him- he’s so god damn irritating!
Ok I guess the guy is somewhat amusing but still as a main character it’s hard to take the story seriously at times. Anyway we’ve got yet another shocking act of violence that stains the issue by it’s end. Just as I thought I kinda had Negan figured out he goes and does something completely insane. I guess I should have seen it coming by now huh? Well this time as he’s trying to prove his worth to The Whisperers and impress their female leader Alpha he goes for the shocking twist ending. Negan appears concerned here about doing “the right thing” as he witnesses a woman being sexually assaulted. He tries to convince Alpha that it’s wrong not to interfere and later has a long discussion with her about how though he’s done some fucked up shit in his time, it’s always been to protect people.
I was starting to suspect he was up to something funny, in fact I highly suspected that he was pulling a full on fast one on Alpha. He even got her to open up to him and cry. What happened next though was pretty out of the blue as he went into psycho mode slitting her throat and then continuing to decapitate her. As we see him hold her head up it appears he’s under the impression that good ol’ Ricky boy is gonna be tickled pink at his latest kill. So I wonder just what Rick IS going to think?
Issue #156 is pretty interesting and it’s likely to generate a lot of controversy as Negan kills a seemingly powerful female villain named Alpha. Not the most PC thing to do at this point in 2016 but of course a ballsy move by Robert. We’ll see what happens as The Walking Dead has peaked my interest once again…what did you think?
Russell Brand to Play “Jesus” on The Walking Dead?!
Ok, so that’s not true in the least! Russell brand is NOT up for the role of the Walking Dead character (not that I know of at least) but the more and more I see Jesus in The Walking Dead comic books the more and more I think that artist Charlie Adlard is basing his likeness off Mr. Brand! Could Mr. Adlard be a Trewser?!
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So hey who knows maybe I’ll start some buzz here to get the comedian the role? Not to say he’s looking to be on the show, but I’m a big fan of Brand these days and his “Trews” alternative media news program. If you haven’t already checked it out it’s pretty hilarious and he’s totally dead on with things in the political spectrum of the world.
As far as if he appears in the tv show and who will play the gay badass in the television series remains a mystery but I am going to call it here-let’s get Russell Brand to play Jesus I mean he already looks the part and I’m quite sure he’d be a welcome addition to the show!! Let’s make it happen! Can’t you see the resemblance?
Here’s Brand…he wouldn’t even need to change his appearance one iota!
And finally some Trews!!
Walking Dead #139 Review!
I know I’ve talked some shit here in the past about how The Walking Dead comic book had become a bit boring and that the whole dang thing has become a bit of a stale read. But now I’m starting to actually kind of dig the current direction of the book slowly but surely. We’re at a point now where things are beginning to become interesting again….I hope. In the previous issue, we had Carl losing his virginity to a weird girl who’s part of the clan who wears zombie skin on their bodies to go undetected by the undead. What things are looking like lately is that Carl actually just might be able to carry this book on his own someday replacing Rick. I really am enjoying this version of him filled with a bunch of teen angst and rage.
Issue 139 also shows the return of Michonne finally, and we learn what she’s been up to all this time and much more. We see the return of Ezekiel and see Rick’s crew venture to the coast where as you can see on the cover, people are indeed out venturing on boats. We also get an emotional long overdue conversation between Rick and Michonne and most interesting we see Carl’s raging hormones/teenage emotions brewing some serious trouble for everyone, whether they like it or not.
I’ve been with this book from issue #1 and it’s been quite a wild ride, some of it I have loved and some of it hasn’t been too inspiring. I see a light at the end of this tunnel and for the first time in a while I can say I’m looking forward to the next issue. Let’s hope things get totally out of hand here and Kirkman moves the book into some new directions, my fingers are crossed…don’t blow it Kirkman!
The Walking Dead #132: The Zombies Stay Stupid!
Late last night I finished reading Walking Dead #132, and just as this book was finally starting to grab my interest again it kind shifted back into the same gears it has been for far too long. So stop reading now if you fear any SPOILERS! I’ve said it here for quite some time now, that this title needs a major injection of something different to add some new excitement to it’s ongoing apocalyptic story. Well most recently we had a stir of exactly that, when a group from Rick’s settlement stumbled upon supposed zombies that could speak! The idea of this alone was exciting and intriguing to me, perhaps a little nod to “Day of the Dead” and full of possibilities for future story lines.
Could you imagine a new threat in the form of an intelligent horde of flesh eaters! Now that’s frightening! I imagined villains far more ruthless than Negan or The Governor, an undead villain and the threats that they could pose to the existence of the human race. Well along comes issue #132, and it once again hits upon this new threat now being confirmed by Dante and his crew, the dead indeed are speaking! I felt that surge of excitement I haven’t felt in quite sometime in this title-but then I turned the page and yet something entirely different was revealed, something I had been hoping would not be the case here…The undead are still mindless-we have a new group of evil, evil humans once again…uggh….only this time they are dressing up as zombies. I had figured this might be the case when the idea was first crossed in the book a couple issues back.
My balloon is officially deflated. It seems that Kirkman wishes to keep this title on the same rails it always has been, Zombies=bad, Humans=more bad!! We have read this story countless times here in this title, it was great for the first 100 issues if that. Now though a great opportunity has been missed, the chance to do something different here. Perhaps people are totally digging this comic book still and I’m totally off base here and runnin’ my mouth like a mo-fo?!
Still I can’t help but wonder how this title could be if Kirkman wasn’t so afraid to break the mold he’s made for this series. What about the rest of the world? No one in Rick’s company cares to know if perhaps there are areas that are safe or unaffected? They just wanna build this little settlement and live? No one cares about a cure? What if there’s more to this whole story, one that’s larger than Rick? Are we at this point just supposed to accept that Rick is starting civilization again and that the rest of the world is a total wasteland? I’d love to see these questions answered and I’d love to see this threat evolve into something more interesting, if zombies can be a reality what else might be out there? Unfortunately that’s a subject Kirkman doesn’t feel confident enough to explore, I love a good drama but come on, this book could be SO much more today…please tell me what all of you think?! Am I just a Walking Dead hater?!!
Robert Kirkman Proves He’s No One Hit Wonder With “Outcast” #1!!!
Just read Outcast #1 last night, the new series by Walking Dead writer Robert Kirkman which is something that I’ve been quite curious about now for a while. As my interest in The Walking Dead has been waning steadily over the last couple years I’ve often wondered if Kirkman has just lost his touch or perhaps has just run out of good ideas to make the series as compelling as it once was. So Outcast I figured really could have went either way. It turns out that the first Issue of Outcast is pretty damn awesome! Within reading the first few pages (of the 48 page comic book priced at $2.99) I could tell I was in for a real treat.
First let me say that the artwork by Paul Azaceta is excellent and is perfect for the dark dismal tone of the story, instantly drawing me in before having a clue as to what’s brewing in the pages ahead. Without giving too much away I’d say that this one follows the story of a man who’s life has been affected by “demonic possessions” in nearly every way imaginable. Which has lead to many people, even family members labeling him a dangerous outcast of society. The main character Kyle Barnes lives a depressing life alone in a dark run down house seemingly almost cut off from the world outside. We get glimpses as the story moves as to why this man has become a hermit but we also realize that he’s not alone entirely as he’s asked by a local priest to come help him with a boy he believes is possessed by the devil. This sheds some light into his past as it’s clear that we know it’s no coincidence that Barnes was sought out.
Kirkman does an incredible job at drawing you in to this man’s life and makes you want more answers with every turn of the page. The comic book is also often times very frightening, which can be a tough thing to pull off in this medium these days. I’m certain that this series is going to be the next big thing, issue #1 is jam packed with enough mystery, scares, beautiful artwork and intense drama to have me eagerly awaiting issue #2! I suggest that you run out to your local comic book shop and grab this one, you’ll be kicking yourself in the ass if you don’t. Nice work Kirkman, I wasn’t sure you still had it in you!
The Walking Dead #126 – My Final Thoughts on “All Out War”!
Ok first off let me tell you there’s SPOILERS here, so if you aren’t caught up with the series stop reading now! Ok then, yesterday I read the final chapter of the “All Out War” twelve issue story arc of The Walking Dead. First I am going to state that the finale did not go the way I predicted it would which is actually a good thing. However, it seems to me that the series is stuck in the mud at this point. It has been for a while I think. This finale didn’t really offer up any real excitement, what I did predict was that Rick’s slicing of Negan’s throat in in issue #125 was certainly not going to be fatal. I enjoyed the fact that Rick is letting Negan live and trying to push the world in a better direction, trying to fix the mistakes the previous world made with war, revenge and killing. Very admirable Rick. However now that he has Negan as a prisoner that means that we’re going to have to have that character around for even longer!
I’ve heard from many people that Negan is their favorite character, that “he’s like the greatest villain to ever grace the pages of a comic book”. To me he’s unbelievable, annoying and just not that interesting. So I guess now what we’re most likely going to see is the gradual change of Negan from a villain into a part of the crew. I am guessing that he’s going to develop into some sort of anti-hero. That being said, where can Kirkman really take this series? Are we going to meet another Negan/Governor? I’d say that’s likely. To me though that’s also a bit boring.
I’d like to see this book go in some new directions dammit! Let’s face some new threats that aren’t a bunch of asshole humans, add some mystery to the book, search for other people in other parts of the world-I mean isn’t anyone interested in what might be happening elsewhere on another continent? Wouldn’t finding a plane be a priority? Or chartering a boat? I’m just not that interested in seeing Rick become the next President of the USA!! What do you think? Are you all satisfied with the direction the book has been stuck on?
‘Curse of the Wendigo’ Delivers the Chills!
The wendigo folklore is always intrigues me, I love most anything that has to do with the legend. I was pleasantly surprised when I recently picked up “The Curse of the Wendigo” which had completely gone under my radar when it was released here in the USA in 2011. What drew me in even more to this comic book was the artwork, which was done by The Walking Dead’s Charlie Adlard. It was cool seeing his artwork in full color and I’ll be the first to admit that when Tony Moore left TWD I really wasn’t a big fan of Adlard. Over time though his art has grown on me however The Walking Dead comic series has more recently become a bit of a bore.
I almost imagined I was reading a new Walking Dead story line, which felt pretty damn good. It can be pretty hard to disconnect when Charlie has done well over a hundred issues of TWD thus far. However the artwork is really the only thing similar, this story is a sweet and simple and It reminded me a bit of the movie “Ravenous” of which I am a huge fan of. The story takes place during World War I, French and German soldiers are forced to put aside their differences to try and take out an unseen force that’s slaughtering their men. The story is also a bit of a mystery as well and has a little more going for it than just blood and guts.
It’s a pretty cool little 64 page horror story that was a delight to read. Curse was originally released in Europe in 2009 and Dynamite released it here in 2011. I think this tale would make a great movie concept. The world needs more wendigo on the big screen anyway, I mean just how many wendigo movies are actually out there? Hmm…future blog post I think!
So If you’re looking for a creepy original graphic novel with some great artwork to check out give Curse of the Wendigo a try!
The Walking Dead #100 : Shocking Yet Oddly Unfulfilling….
So today ends the wait for issue number 100, an issue that writer Robert Kirkman never thought possible for the series when it all started. Issue 100 had a LOT of speculation and mystery surrounding it, people were waiting to be blown away. Well now the question is after all the hubbub did it deliver the goods? I didn’t think so personally…
I will say that it was truly the most brutal issue we’ve yet seen. Some of the panels were undeniably hard to look at. The blood ran cold and here we are once again with the death of one of the books longest lasting characters. Yes it was a sad and depressing issue and one that I have no doubt will have fans talking and mourning the death of Glenn for a long time to come. So what’s wrong with it then you might ask? I am most likely a minority here, but aside from the extreme carnage in this issue it really didn’t have much to offer even with it’s added extra pages. It seems to me that this book is in serious need of new ideas, new scenery and the sheer adventure that should fuel it’s readers. Issue 100 feels a little too “been there done that” to me.
Negan is clearly designed to be the books next “Governor”. However the Governor was done first and done better and really Kirkman after all the “Lucile is coming” hype it turns out that Lucile is a barbed wire baseball bat? Um… pretty disappointing. I feel like sometimes I may have been mistaking “good writing” in this series lately for the sudden shocking deaths of characters. It seems Kirkman can kill major characters every so often amidst a rather monotonous storyline and somehow get away with his book still being praised as the most epic series out there. Now don’t get me wrong, I still like The Walking Dead, I thought this was a good issue and I still will keep on board most likely until the series ends. However I can honestly say that I really don’t love it in the way I used to. I’d like to see something new brought to the table, I have grown seriously tired of the “sitting in one place and trying to start a community” scenario again and again. I think these characters need to get off their asses and get some answers to what is really going on, I’d like to see a little less of how terrible humanity is over and over. Yes we get it Kirkman, zombies bad, humans even worse. Let’s see a little supernatural development above the rather blah zombie infection or let’s send the crew off somewhere completely different, perhaps out to sea or hell as Kirkman continually jokes maybe now is the time for the Alien’s to appear! Heck I think it’d be more exciting than watching another “shocking” character death don’t you?
The Walking Dead #100 Predictions!
Wow I can’t believe we’re almost one hundred issues into The Walking Dead! Still one of my most anticipated comic books every month. Kirkman never thought it would become the sensation it is today. So now obviously this has gotten us all wondering what the hell is going to go down in the big issue? What could possibly top some of the last surprises we’ve endured? Carl getting shot, Tyreses’ death, the Governor being “killed” by Michonne, Lori and the baby’s death and most recently Abraham’s death were hands down some of the most intense and emotional deaths in comic book history. But is issue #100 going to be purely witnessing, once again, deaths of our current roster of Rick’s minions? Only time will tell, however here are a couple things I think would be a big surprise for this milestone issue.
First let’s think about what Kirkman could possibly do to blow our minds. I have felt for quite sometime that perhaps Lori and / or their baby may not actually really be dead! My guess is that sometime soon, perhaps even in this next issue Lori could be revealed to still indeed be alive. We really only saw her get shot, it was never confirmed by anyone that she was truly dead. My guess is this would be a major move Kirkman has at the very least considered. Would this shock you?
Second would of course be the big one. Rick biting the dust! I am certain this won’t happen soon but I am certain it will happen and perhaps Carl will lead the team or grow into a leader. However imagine if Rick was bit and the disease took. This alone would pack a powerful punch, the issues that follow showing the remaining members of his group watching him slowly descend into becoming the walking dead. Imagine Carl and say Michonne heading out into the world on their own. This, when it happens is will be a powerful end or new beginning to the book.
I guess anything could really happen, however I highly doubt Michonne has anything to worry about as she just made her wildly popular tv appearance. Personally as much as I love the title I’d love to see it move into a different direction. I have been a little bored with this whole “setting up a community” thing for quite a while now. I would love to see them on the road again, it’s so much more exciting and I think more believable. I mean how many times are we going to see the gang meet up with psychotic people and get into an altercation? It’s all been good and fine up til now but i think we need to get a little more adventure back into the title.
Listen up Kirkman, I think a logical choice of action would be perhaps them trying to get to an island somewhere and finding a boat? Get to some water. I know that’s been an idea in movies already but so was your whole opening to the story which was basically a blatant rip from 28 Days Later. Expanding on that concept would be very intriguing. I think searching for a small plane or meeting a pilot would be a great exciting new direction for the crew. It seems a little strange to me that the characters seem content with giving up and just accepting making a community somewhere. They need someone who’s looking for solutions and bigger answers to the problem other than Rick’s flawed one dimensional thinking about restarting civilization at some purely random location without knowing what the hell is really going on. Doesn’t anyone wonder what the big picture is?!
I also am NOT a fan of Kirkman stating there will never be explanation for the undead. I feel not exploring that idea is uninspired. What if there was a mutation? What if there was more than just zombies out there to fear? The book needs something new and exciting to happen in it or we’ll get the same scenarios happening over and over. Yeah we all get it, the living people are more scary than the zombies, how about letting that idea rest for a bit and get back into the monsters being more threatening? It’s time to introduce some new ideas into this book while still keeping with the tone so far. So I hope for something great to down in issue #100 and not just an issue where more supporting characters die off. What about you?
The Walking Dead Ebay Phenomena!
It seems everyone these days are going absolutely ape shit over The Walking Dead TV series! I personally have only seen the first season and the first two episodes of the second season. I have however been collecting the comic book from the start. Well I bought issue number one when it came out way back in 2003, but after reading it dismissed it as a flash in the pan, 28 days later wanna be series. I even sold the first issue a few months later for thirty bones on Ebay. I was a happy guy. Well about three months later I was at my local comic shop and saw they had The Walking Dead trade paperback there collecting issues 1-6. They made a promise saying that if you didn’t like it they’d return your money. So there I was reading TWD trade and LOVING it! I started collecting all the issues from #7 on and it became my favorite monthly comic.
About a week ago former Universal Dork blogger “The One From Beyond” sent me a text message saying I should consider selling the old back issues as they are causing quite a bit of controversy on Ebay. So checked it out and WOW….people if you own these back issues you may have a dilema on your hands…to sell or not to sell? I have seen issue number one go on ebay recently for over $7000.00. Which really makes me kick myself for selling it back in the day. Luckily I have my old issues 7-current. I recently listed all of my issues through number 38. Issue number 19 has gone recently on ebay for $1600.00 mine ends tomorrow and I can only dream of getting that much for it. There are also other key issues that are pretty sought after like the first appearance of The Governor and issue 61 with the CHEW preview.
So did I do the wrong thing? Are these issues going to go even higher as the show progresses? Or are they the comic book equivalent of a Beanie Baby or Cabbage Patch Kid? It’s a gamble. I however say I gotta get it while the getting is good. Like my last post stated I am a little tired of the zombie craze at this point. I do still like TWD every month but just not as much as I did four years ago. But a heads up to all my fellow Dorks out there your Walking Dead comics are gold, once again us nerds rule……
Oh by the way you should go bid on my Walking Dead #19 😉
Universal Dork 